Oaks, Derby Forecast: Cloudy but No Rain

The long-range forecast in Louisville calls for balmy temperatures and mostly sunny skies leading up to the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), and although Derby Day could be mostly cloudy, rain is not anticipated.

According to Weather.com, highs will be in the mid to upper 60s the weekend before the Derby, with temperatures climbing to the 70s by Tuesday, April 29. Lows should stay around the mid to upper 50s for most of the 10-day period.

A 30% chance of showers is forecast for Sunday, April 27, and Monday, April 28. The rest of the pre-Derby forecast remains clear until Thursday, May 2, when a 30% chance of precipitation is listed.

On Friday, May 3—Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) day—the long-range forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a daytime high of 70 degrees, with an overnight low temperature of 49.

On Derby Day the sun will rise at 6:43 a.m. EDT, with the forecast high expected to reach 71 degrees. The Kentucky Derby will be run at approximately 6:24 p.m. EDT.

Last year, the Derby Day high was 83, with a low of 65, when I'll Have Another captured the first jewel of the Triple Crown on a fast track under partly sunny skies.